Lawrence Gill Biography

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. 
	Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 437-438

	Scan, OCR and editing by Joy Fisher, jfisher@sdgenweb.com, 1999.

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LAWRENCE GILL is one of the prominent and popular farmers of Moody 
county.  He lives on section 20, Grovena township, near Egan, and is 
one of the old settlers, having first set foot on Moody county soil in 
1878, which, reckoned by the Dakota standard, is something akin to a 
cycle of time.  Mr. Gill was born in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, May 
II, 1855. His parents were John and Julia (Smith) Gill, both of whom 
settled upon government land in the wilds of Manitowoc county, 
Wisconsin, in 1852.  Mr. Gill tilled this land for above fourteen 
years, then sold out and went to Dodge county, in the same state. He 
secured another farm there, and still makes it his home.  Mrs. Gill 
died in 1893. The Gills were both Catholics, and raised their children 
in the faith.  There were four sons and three daughters in the family: 
Mary A.; Catherine A.; Lawrence, the subject of this sketch; John; 
Margaret, deceased; and Peter and James, twins. Lawrence received a 
good common-school education, and remained upon the old homestead until 
his sixteenth year, when he secured employment at twenty dollars per 
month upon a neighboring farm.  In 1878 he came to Moody county, 
locating almost immediately upon his present farm.  He encountered many 
difficulties during the early years.  Upon his arrival at his new home 
he found that the nearest inhabitant lived some four miles distant, and 
that Flandreau, the nearest place which might be dignified with the 
name hamlet, loomed up jauntily with a population of perhaps forty or 
fifty souls.  The conveniences and even the necessaries of the 
civilized man were very hard to obtain, and, as Mr. Gill had a very 
modest store in his coin bag, he found progress very slow for the first 
year or two.  He persevered, however, and gradually brought his land 
under cultivation, staying meanwhile at his nearest neighbor's house.  
He thus managed to exist until 1881.  In that year he built a cottage 
for himself, and installed his sister, who had recently come from 
Wisconsin, as housekeeper.  Since that time Mr. Gill has been uniformly 
successful in his farming operations, and now possesses three hundred 
and twenty acres of the best land in the county, about two-thirds of 
which is under the plow. The humble cottage which he first built was 
replaced in 1893 by one of the handsomest residences in that part of 
the state, and the entire farm is conducted upon the same liberal 
basis, though with perfect system. Besides general farming, stock 
raising is carried on by Mr. Gill, and he owns some very fine blooded 
cattle.  He has a flourishing farm, run on a correct, practical basis, 
and one in which the occasional visitor will find much to interest and 
instruct him, even though he be merely pleasure seeking. Mr. Gill is a 
Populist in politics, and displays a commendable interest in the 
success of the party, of which he is a charter member. Mr. Gill is the 
present chairman of the township board, and has held, among others, the 
office of township treasurer, being the first to hold the latter 
position in the township. In 1895 Mr. Gill, desiring a little 
relaxation from his labors, and incidentally a pleasure trip, went to 
the Pacific coast, remaining several months.  He enjoyed the new sights 
and scenes very much, and came back greatly improved in health.

In 1884 Mr. Gill and Miss Lillie Underwood were married.  Mrs. Gill is 
a daughter of Henry Underwood, of Vernon county, Wisconsin, a veteran 
of the Civil war. She was born in Jefferson county, Wisconsin.